Implement for opening boxes or for other uses.



PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904.

E T. J. LYNCH.

IMPLEMENT FOR OPENING BOXES OR FOR OTHER USES.

APPLIOA TION FILED NOV. 2. 1903.

gm U u UNITED STATES Patented November 29, 1904.

THOMAS JEFFERSON LYNCH, OF OTTAWA, ILLINOIS.

IMPLEMENT FOR OPENING BOXES-OR FOR oTHER USES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 776,191, dated November 29, 1904.

Application fil November 2, 1903. Serial No. 1 79,649 (No model.)

To a whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS JEFFERSON LYNCH, a citizen of the United States, of Otinvention will be comprehended by reference to the following description of the accompanying drawings and will be clearly defined in the claim appended thereto.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device, illustrating its use in openplement when used as a hammer.

ing a box. Fig. 2 is a top view, partially in longitudinal section, with the parts extended.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the imtransverse sectional view taken on line 4: 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 2, showing the nail-pulling slots. 0

As shown in said drawings, my improved implement or box-opener is composed of two main parts or members A and B, having tele' scopic relationwith each other. The part A is the outer one of the two telescopic members and consists of a tubular handle portion having at its outer end two diametrically disposed radially-extending arms A A, which constitute a transverse head, the end faces of which are square-faced at a a, whereby this portion of the implement may be used as a convenient hand-grip or transverse handle or employed. as the head of an ordinary hammer. Said tubular handle member A is closed at its outer end, but at its inner end has an annu lar interior shoulder a.

The member B is a rod which slides in the Fig. 4is a tubular part A and has at its outer end or extremity a tool portion or blade O. Said member B is adapted for contact at its inner end with the closed outer end a of the bore or passage of the tubular handle member A, the said inner end of the rod member by its contact with the said inner end a of the passage or bore of the handle serving to limit the inward-sliding movement of said handle member on said rod member. Said rod member B is adapted to slide through a bearing-aperture a in the inner end of the tubular part or handle member A. Said bearing-aperture is located between the shoulder a and the end of the tubular member, and the rod member its and is adapted to freely slide therein. Said shoulder a is located at some considerable distance inward from the end of the tubular hanclle member A, so that the bearing-aperture a is made of considerable length and serves by its engagement with the rod part B to hold the parts A and B in alinement with each other when extended. The extension of the parts A and B is limited and their separation prevented by a stop-plug b, secured in the rod B near the inner end of the same and adapted to engage the interior shoulder a as the rod portion is slid outwardly within the handle portion A. An aperture to in the wall of the tubular handle part A affords a convenient way to insert the plug or stop 6 in connecting the same with the rod or part B.

Upon the rod part B between the blade O and the handle member A is a rigidly-attached ring or collar B, arranged in such relation to thehandle part that when the two parts are in their telescoped position the said collar will be close to the inner end of the handle part, but not in contact with the same. The said ring or collar thus arranged serves to prevent the hand which grasps the rod part B of the implement from getting into position to be caught or pinched'by the inner end of the tubular member A as the latter slidesinwardly on the rod, said collar forming a guard for the hand which grasps the rod between the said collar and the blade C. I

Said blade O is preferably made flat in its main portion and provided with a wedgeshaped or beveled extremity forming a relatively sharp edge 0. Said edge 0 is preferably made so sharp as to cut wire bands or other obstructions when desired. The side margins of the blade are preferably tapered, making the base of the blade, which is attached to the rod B, Wider than the free end or sharpened edge 0, which is relatively narrow. At its wider or base end the said blade C is provided at either side of the rod or bar B with nail-pull notches a, which extend from the base edge of the said plate outwardly or toward the extremity or sharpened edge of the blade. The part of the plate at the sides of said notches is preferably cut away or rab-' beted, so that the portions of said plate in which these notches are formed are relatively thin, as clearly seen in Fig. 5, and are therefore adapted to enter beneath the heads of nails which project only slightly from the wood or board in which they are embedded or driven. The side edges of the notches are, moreover, arranged to converge or taper inwardly, adapting them to fit upon or engage nails of different sizes and to be wedged tightly against the sides of the nails beneath the heads thereof.

In the use of the implement described if it be desired, for instance, to remove the cover from a box the edge of the blade C is entered between the cover and the side of the box, and the operator, taking hold of the rod B with his left hand between the blade (1 and collar B and of the handle part A with his right hand, which may grasp either the tubular body or head of said handle part, slides the said handle part inwardly and outwardly on the rod, bringing the handle part with a hammer-like blow against the end of the rod within the tubular part, and thereby driving the blade between the lid and wall of the box. After the blade has been entered between the lid and the box-wall the implement may be used as a lever and the lid pried off or partially lifted. When so used as a lever, the handle part A may be slid outwardly on the rod part B so far as permitted by the stop 6, and the parts of the implement in their extended position Will constitute a long lever by which the prying action of the blade will be rendered more effective. If it is desired to draw the nails out before prying the lid ofl' completely, the implement may be used as a hammer by grasping the tubular part A as indicated in Fig. 3, and the lid may be tapped by the hammer end of the implement, whereupon the nails or most of them will be backed out. The nail-heads extending above the surface of the lid may then be readily engaged by the nail-pulling notches 0 in the blade 0 and the nails thereby withdrawn. Obviously in drawing the nails by the use of the nailpulling notches described the rod B and handle part A will act as a handle, and when the handle part is slid outwardly on the rod part this lever will be made of considerable length and will act with great power in extracting the nails.

In engaging the nail-pulling notches c with the nails to be extracted if any force is required to bring the margins of the blade at either side of the notches into engagement with the nail-heads the hammering action of the handle part A when slid outwardly upon the rod may be employed to force the edges of the blade beneath the heads of the nails.

It will of course be understood that in using the outer end or cross-piece of the handle part as a hammer the parts of the implement will be drawn together or telescoped and the handle part grasped at its inner end by the hand, when the head part may be used like the head of an ordinary hammer.

When the parts are in their closed or telescoped position and the tubular part A is adjacent to the collar B, said collar being of about the same size as the tubular part may be grasped by the hand along with the inner end of the tubular part, so that said collar not only affords a longer, and therefore more convenient, handle to be grasped in using the implement as a hammer, but the contact of the hand with the said collar at such time prevents the parts sliding on each other.

The implement described may obviously be used for tearing down buildings and other like work done by carpenters or others, it being obvious that the handle sliding upon the rod portion of the implement in the manner described may be used for driving the bladed end of the implement between parts to be separated and that when the handle is slid outwardly on the rod portion of the implement the latter is made of considerable length, so that great leverage may be exerted on the blade.

I claim as my invention An implement for the purpose set forth comprising two telescoping parts, one of which is a rod provided at its outer end with a blade and the other a tubular handle which slides over the rod and is provided with a transverse head forming a hammer, the said rod being provided with a flange or collar, and between said flange or collar and the blade with a part constituting a grip or handheld; and said flange or collar being located at such distance from the inner end of the rod as to be separated by a space from the end of the handle when the rod is in contact with the closed end of the handle, so that the said closed end of the handle comes in contact with the end of the rod in driving and said flange or collar being shaped to form a part of the tubular my invention I aflix my signature, in presence handle when the rod is thrust into said handle of two witnesses, this 26th day of October, and to be engaged by the hand which grasps A. D. 1903. I

the handle to prevent movement of the rod THOMAS JEFFERSON LYNCH. 5 in the handle when the implement is used as Witnesses:

a hammer. S. WM. Lone,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as l FRED L. JONES. 

